Ivory Coast, or Cote d’Ivoire, eased off to their place at the tournament finals even if they had been pitted against very good Senegal side, as 6-2 aggregate win over Teranga Lions saw them qualify for the tournament in South Africa. Once again, the Elephants are the number one favourites for the trophy, but having utterly failed to prove their worth at the past few editions of AFCON, these predictions need to be taken with a pinch of salt.

Boss Sabri Lamouchi has named a star-studded squad for the tournament finals, with Didier Drogba, Yaya Toure and Cheick Tiote all expected to play a key part in team’s push for that elusive second title. However, it will all depend on how the team gel during the training camp in Abu Dhabi, as past editions of the tournament have proved individual quality alone is not enough to go all the way.

Ivory Coast AFCON squad

Goalkeepers: Boubacar Barry (Lokeren), Daniel Yeboah (Dijon), Ali Sangare (IAFC)

Defenders: Souleymane Bamba (Trabzonspor), Arthur Boka (Stuttgart), Emmanuel Eboue (Galatasaray), Igor Lolo (Kuban Krasnodar), Siaka Tiene (Paris St Germain), Kolo Toure (Manchester City), Ismael Traore (Brest), Abdul Razak (Manchester City)

Midfielders: N’Dri Romaric (Real Zaragoza), Max Gradel (St Etienne), Cheick Tiote (Newcastle), Yaya Toure (Manchester City), Didier Ya Konan (Hannover), Didier Zokora (Trabzonspor)

Forwards: Didier Drogba (Shanghai Shenhua), Salomon Kalou (Lille), Arouna Kone (Wigan), Lacina Traore (Anzhi Makhachkala), Wilfried Bony (Vitesse Arnhem), Gervinho (Arsenal).

AFCON History

Despite being regarded as the best African side, Ivory Coast have only once won the Africa Cup of Nations, in 1992, although they came really close in 2006 and 2012, having lost on penalties to Egypt and Zambia respectively. The Elephants also boast four third-place finishes, but just one AFCON title is in stark contrast to their reputation in the football world.

Players to Watch

Even if he is 34 at the moment, Didier Drogba remains one of the world’s best centre forwards, and he is one of just a handful of Ivory Coast internationals who usually play to their potential at major tournaments. Premier League stars Yaya Toure and Cheick Tiote are also expected to make an impact at the tournament finals, while Wilfried Bony and Lacina Traore are the ones to watch.

Group Matches

Tuesday, January 22, 2013, v Togo (16:00 CET in Phokeng)   1.4 4.5 6.5
Saturday, January 26, 2013 v Tunisia (16:00 CET in Phokeng)
Wednesday, January 30, 2013 v Algeria (18:00 CET in Phokeng)

Prediction

Having been placed into the most difficult group at the tournament finals, Ivory Coast will need to hit the ground running early on if they want to finally win their second AFCON title, and I feel they can go all the way this time. Led by world-class players Didier Drogba and Yaya Toure, and boasting huge strength in depth and a wealth of experience, the Elephants look well positioned to pip their rivals to the coveted title. Having said that, Ivory Coast are 2.88 (17/9) with BetVictor to lift the Africa Cup of Nations title.